'Does Red Bull's flexible floor violate intent of F1 regulations?'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
It looks more and more like the FIA is going to implement technical directives to reduce porpoising. However, it is no longer just about bouncing, but also about the flexible floors of some teams. That Ferrari and Red Bull Racing are taking such a hard line suddenly falls into place.
Porpoising in F1
Since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the FIA has been looking at what it is doing to reduce porpoising. Mercedes in particular made quite a mess of things around that weekend. F1's governing body stepped in and decided to introduce 'technical directives'. The cars were not allowed to bounce as much, otherwise the car had to be raised.
In Canada it was still a test, but this was unclear for a long time. Mercedes was happy that something was finally happening, but Red Bull and Ferrari complained the most. Not surprisingly, as they are the two top teams of 2022 and have the most to lose. This is also shown by information from The Race.
According to the medium, the FIA's investigation into porpoising found that some teams had made the rear of the floor more flexible than was intended by the regulations. The rules allowed for tests on the resistance of the floor, but not on the whole board. Some teams are said to have taken advantage of this.
Red Bull and Ferrari are ahead
Given that Ferrari and Red Bull are the teams performing best in 2022 and shouting 'no' the loudest to the new TD, it is not crazy to draw the conclusion that they have a flexible floor. Mercedes certainly thinks so and expects that the new TD will throw Ferrari and Red Bull back nearer to their own performance.
Horner says that before the Austrian Grand Prix the new guidelines will be discussed in the F1 Commission. The Brit is not happy with the fact that regulations are being tinkered with (again) during the season. "There is no such thing as the intention of the rules."
TDs are normally intended to clarify rules, but now it seems they are actually being changed. Horner does not like this process and the Red Bull team boss believes it needs to be looked at. Although he stated that his cars meet the new guidelines, he does not think it is necessary to implement them.